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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER R. CAVNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; EDWARD E. IIOLMAN, AD-

MINISTRATOR OF SAID ALEXANDER R. CAVNER, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR TO THE CAVNER LOCOMOTIVE IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LOCQMOTIVE-ENGINEV EEECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,681, dated July 12, 1892.

Application filed August 1, 1891. Serial No. 401,432. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER R. CAVNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a side elevation of alocomotive, a portion of the front of the locomotive being broken away to show my improvements.-

Myinvention relates tolocomotive-engines, and particularly to that class of locomotiveengines which are provided with a compartment in front of the boiler.

The object of my invention is to increase the efficiency of locomotives by securing a more perfect draft through the furnace. I

accomplish this object as hereinafter specified and as illustrated in the drawing.

That which I regard as new will bepointed out. in the claims.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a locomotive,

which is provided with a boiler having an ex-- tension-front forming a compartment 2. The flues of the boiler are covered by a hood 3, which connects them with an exhaust-fan-4, which may be of any suitable construction and is adapted by its operation to draw a current of air through the fines of the boiler and discharge it through a tube 5. The tube 5 is connected at its lower end to the exhaustfan 4 and terminates at its upper end near the top of the smoke-stack 6, as shown. The exhaust-fan 4 is operated by'a steam-engine 7, which is located in the compartment 2 and is supplied by means of a pipe 8 with steam from the boiler. The pipe 8 passes back into the cab of the engine and is provided with a cut-off valve 9, by means of'which the supply of steam to the engine 7 may be regulated from the cab.

10 indicates a cogged wheel by means of which the exhaust-fan 4 is operated. Any other mechanism for driving the fan from the engine 7 may be employed.

11 indicates a blower, which is located in the compartment 2 and is provided with an opening 12 into said compartment.

through the fire-box.

13 indicates a tube which leads from the blower 11 to the bottom of the ash-box 14 of the engine and terminates at the front of the ash-box, as shown. The ash-box 14 consists of a closed chamber located beneath the grate-bars of the furnace, as shown. A door may be provided at any suitable point to permit of the ashes being removed. The arrangement of the blower 11 is such that when it is in operation a current of air will be drawn from the interior of the compartment 2 and will be forced through the tube 13 into the ash-box 14, as indicated by the arrows. The blower 11 is provided with a cogged wheel 15, which is in mesh with the wheel 10 of the exhaust-fan 4, as shown. The two wheels 10 and 15 are preferably similar, so that the fans will be operated at equal rates of speed and the currents passing through the lines of the boiler and the tube 13 will be about the same.

By gearing the exhaust-fan 4 and the blower 11 together, as shown, by operating the exhaust-fan 4 from the engine 7 the blower will also be operated. If desired, instead of connecting the engine 7 to the exhaust-fan 4, as shown, the engine may be made to operate the blower directly.

16 indicates a tube which extends from the bottom of the compartment 2 to the smokestack of the engine and is adapted to receive the exhaust-steam from the cylinders of the locomotive to prevent its entering the compartment 2. Suitable openings are provided in the sides of the compartment 2 to admit fresh air into said compartment.

\Vhen the engine 7 is in operation, a current of air will be drawn through the blower 11 and will pass through the tube 13 into the ash box 14, and will thence pass upward The fan 4 will at the same time draw the hot gases through the fines of the boiler and will discharge them through the pipe into the smoke-stack. By this construction the draft of the furnace may be varied at pleasure and the fire is always fed with a current offresh air.

It is not essential that the tube 13 should be of the shape shown in the drawing, as, if desired, it may extend backward immediately ICO under the boiler, or may be made of any other suitable shape to best adapt it to be fitted upon the locomotive.

That which I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a locomotiveboiler, of a compartment arranged at the forward end of the boiler, a hood arranged in said compartment and which cuts off com mu nication between all of the boiler-fines and the compartment, but permits the passage of the products of combustion to the smokestack, and devices located in the compartment and acting to force fresh air therefrom through a pipe directly into the furnace, substantially as described. 7

2. The combination, with a locomotiveboiler having an air-compartment arranged at its front end and closed against communication with all the boiler-fines, of a pipe leading from said compartment to the furnace for conducting fresh air into the latter from the compartment and air-suction mechanism located 1n the said compartment and acting to draw fresh air thereinto and force the same through the said pipe to the locomotive-furnace, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a locomotiveboiler, of an air-compartment arranged at the forward end thereof, a hood which cuts off communication between all the boiler-fines and the air-compartment, but permits the passage of the products of combustion into the smoke-stack, and mechanism located in the said compartment and having a pipe con nected with the ash-box of the furnace for supplying fresh air thereinto from the air-;

tion with the fines of the boiler, of a blower located in said compartment, tube 13, adapted to conduct air from the blower to the ash-box of the furnace, and mechanism for operating said blower, said mechanism being adapted to be controlled from the cab of the locomotive, substantially as described.

5. In a locomotive, the combination, with a boiler having a compartment 2 at its forward end, an exhaust-fan located in said compartment, and a hood connecting said exhaust-fan with the fines of the boiler and preventing communication between said compartment and the flues of the boiler, of a tube 5 for conducting the gases from the boiler to the upper part of the smoke-stack of the engine, and mechanism for operating said exhaustfan, substantially as described.

6. In a locomotive, the combination, with a boiler having a compartment 2 at its forward end, of fans located in saidcompartment, one of said fans being adapted to draw the gases from the fines of the boiler and to discharge them into the smoke-stack of the locomotive and the other fan being adapted to feed the furnace of the boiler with a supply of fresh air, and mechanism for operating said fans, substantially as described.

7. In a locomotive, the combination, with a boiler having a compartment 2 at its forward end, of fans located in said compartment, one of said fans being adapted to draw the gases from the .fiues of the boiler and to discharge them into the smoke-stack of the locomotive and the other fan being adapted to feed the furnace of the boiler with a supply of fresh air, said two fans being'geared together, and mechanism for operating said fans, substan tially as described.

ALEXANDER R. CAVNER.

Witnesses:

RoBT. B. PORTER, A. M. MILLER. 

